The present disclosure is generally related to detecting failures in printer output devices such as printers, copiers, facsimile machines and the like in networked printing environments where users submit print jobs to one of a number of printer devices connected to a network. Enterprises such as businesses, universities, government agencies, etc. often network large numbers of personal computers and printers together, allowing users to print to different printer devices based on print job characteristics, printer device capabilities, proximity of a given user to certain printers, and other factors. Distributed computing and printing enterprise architectures provide economic advantages by allowing direction of individual print jobs to the suitable printer with the lowest cost while also maximizing printer device utilization. In addition, networked printer systems can provide redundancy for situations in which one or more printer devices are off-line for servicing or where a given printer is occupied by a very large print job.
In operating such networked systems, printers must be serviced from time to time, in order to provide optimal print support for the users connected to the network. Printer failures can include a variety of situations in which a printer device is unable to print jobs sent to it through the network, and the fault conditions can be indicated to service personnel in a number of different ways. For example, a user may notice that a particular networked printer is malfunctioning and report the printer failure to administrative or service personnel by placing a telephone call, by sending an email, or by personally notifying the appropriate person in the enterprise, who then arranges for printer service or maintenance to remedy the failure. In another example, the printer device may include on-board diagnostic capabilities by which a printer failure is automatically detected and reported through the network. However, certain printer faults or failures may not be reported by users, who may instead simply redirect their print jobs to another printer on the network. Moreover, some printers may not include diagnostic components and/or the on-board systems may not be able to accurately detect all possible types of printer failures. These situations may include any type of printer fault, such as poor or degraded print/copy quality, incorrect configuration, reduced printer speed, failure of self-diagnostic system in the printer, etc. As a result, conventional networked printer systems cannot ensure that all printer failures are reported to appropriate service personnel in a timely fashion, and printer problems may remain unreported for extended periods of time before service personnel are notified. The latency in servicing failed printer devices increases the cost of the networked enterprise as a whole, and thus there remains a need for improved techniques for identifying printer problems in networked printing systems.